(ANSA) - BELGRADE, MAR 17 - Following a complex investigation led by the Trieste District Anti-Mafia Directorate, Carabinieri from the Monfalcone (Gorizia) Company dismantled a criminal organisation dedicated to facilitating the illegal immigration of Chinese citizens. The investigation, which began in August 2025 in response to reports from several witnesses in Villesse, allowed the organisation to reconstruct the gang's method of operation: migrants smuggled through the eastern border and the Balkan route were transferred by train between Trieste and Monfalcone and then sent by van to logistics bases in Veneto, from which they continued on to Prato or other EU countries using false documents. Throughout the investigation, surveillance was conducted, vehicles were seized—some with false bottoms—and numerous interventions were carried out, forcing the group to change its operating procedures, including using Venice airport for transfers to Spain. Last February, the alleged leader of the organisation was apprehended in Rome and found with approximately €20,000 and false documents. Seven people were arrested, six of whom were traffickers, and 30 members of the criminal organisation and Chinese citizens living illegally in Italy were charged. (ANSA).